Hey guys i done boxing, Kickboxing, Muay thai and even American Kickboxing here and there some styles, I did briefly Karate when i was very young and barely any but feel like venturing again out for more flavour and change scenery and also Karate schools seam to be cheaper then MMA and Muay Thai schools around here. Now i dont plan on being a fighter anynore im way to old but i like to stay fut and always be prepared. Now im trying to join Karate around my area but see there is so many styles and i know of Shotokan and Kyokushin. What are some of the other lines of Karate and what are their specialties , weaknesses, differences. The more style people can tell me about the better. Thanks in advance Karate experts. Looking forward to good conservations
Karate styles ??
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I know what you mean, I've been a MMA, MT, BJJ, wrasslin guy for awhile, and I've had thoughts about TMA, I guess its the culture that swoons me over.
There's Kyokushin, a bit rareer to find in the west, but its basically a combat sport, they're pretty rough from what I've seen. Its similar to MT in terms of competitiveness and intensity.
I think the others are a bit more laxed, and martial art-ish. Like Shotokan, Gojo. Then there's the knockdown ones which are more combat sport oriented. To be fair, all styles depends on the instructor, some are more sport and combat oriented, so they'll be more that, others might appeal to more hobbyist/recreational types, so it'll be more that.
Why not try grappling? Its a different style, but it can be interesting and its new to you if you haven't done it. Judo get's pretty rough sometimes, but BJJ / sub grappling's pretty fun overall.
Goju Ryu emphasizes breathing a lot. Wado Ryu appears to be a grappling oriented Karate style. Then theres Kyokushin off-shoots and one MMA type of Karate style which includes the groundgame but is a bit all over the place.
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could you tell us the styles that are available to you? that would narrow it down for us.
Thanks J123 for a knowledgeable response. Grappling been doing for a long tho satrted with wrestling, did submission wrestling in NHB days, and Gi bjj and recently even tired 10 th planet bjj. As you can see i like it all i like just training for the mental aspect these days i feel better , and its a social thing for me too cause i dont drink and go out. But there is an authentic japanese jiu jitsu place around me i was thinking of trying out also. A TMA grappling style.
ok Goju Ryu out the window for me then lol
i got Shotokan, Kyokushin, Shidokan, Uechi-ryu to choose from and even a japanese jiu jitsu place im potentially thinking of trying,Thanks in advance for your reply
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It depends whether its okinawan or japanese goju because the latter is alot like shotokan. Uechy ryu is okinawan style and they are basically alot like KK in terms of the conditioning, except they dont do alot of high kicks. Visit the schools and ask if they spar(if you are into that.) If you want something more intense go to kyokushin or shidokan(kyokushin offshoot.) Shotokan is good aswell and alot can be had from point sparring or light sparring in terms of footwork and timing.
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Uechi-Ryu is one of the most legit karate styles I've come across, however you need to be careful as with all TMAs. Some of them are SERIOUSLY deluded, but the good schools are good. Joe Lauzon got his start under a Uechi-Ryu black belt at an MMA school.
I used to work with a girl who trained police in Uechi-Ryu and she told me she could never compete in the UFC because her technique would literally kill her opponent. So ya, watch out for the fucking retards. But it's a hard-ass no nonsense style. They've got a good presence in the north east US.
It's also one of those 70s throwback styles where some schools will "test your sanchin" by having the instructor beat the fuck out of you as you do your kata, haha. Not sure how many schools still do that.
I used to work with a girl who trained police in Uechi-Ryu and she told me she could never compete in the UFC because her technique would literally kill her opponent. So ya, watch out for the fucking retards. But it's a hard-ass no nonsense style. They've got a good presence in the north east US.
It's also one of those 70s throwback styles where some schools will "test your sanchin" by having the instructor beat the fuck out of you as you do your kata, haha. Not sure how many schools still do that.
Budokukan i forgot also thanks for the very informative answers btw wow you know your karates, yes i am into sparring in my opinion thats the best way to weed out ineffective technique. What about Budokan whats that style all about?
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hm I'm not that familiar with that style. I know a bit but to be honest @shinkyoku and @Azam could tell you alot more about uechi ryu and other styles of karate. If you want contact I would go to Kyokushin or shidokan. They will get you in great shape and you will do some intense sparring(minus the punches to the head.)
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Haha that black dude in the wife beater. That was like the worst possible reaction, everyone knew immediately he was getting KOd.
Insanely stupid drill, but I guess it does have its benefits. The tolerance of the recipients was 100% predictable based on head position.
Edit: The girl was tiny and got fired for incompetence.
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I think you should learn Shotokan karate simply because of Ryu from street fighter. He is a Shotokan practitioner and he was able to beat some huge Muay Thai guy. Heck within months, I bet you’ll be throwing hadoukens with ease.
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I have a fondness for Uechi-Ryu, but that's because they do a lot of wacky crap like kicking with the big toe and striking with the wrist (and the body conditioning necessary to be able to do that without injuring yourself). Can be hard to find a good school for them, though. Still, give 'em a go, if you have a chance.
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Sagat is 100% natty
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Goju depeds on the dojo. some dojos are heavy into fighting. some under point rules, some under heavy contact "irikumi go" rules. never noticed them being breathing focused. There is a big difference between mainland japanese branches of the style and okinawan branches of the style.
Shotokan can be anything. the style is widespread and is practiced in very different ways. it could be a no-sparring, kata only, place, or a point karate tournament fixated place. what you will not get is hard contact (hard contact in shotokan is a unicorn. everyone has heard of it, but noone has seen it) or lowkicks. only "first hit wins" tag fight. formal is very important.
Kyokushin is hard contact and a LOT of fighting (the so called knockdown karate rules). no protective equipment, no punches to the head, but knees and kicks there are just fine. continuous fight. no breaks for point, first one who goes down loses.
In the bulk of dojos, formal is not as important as function.
Shidokan is a kyokushin splinterstyle. In techniqe it is almost identical to kyokushin.The big difference is that they put an equal focus on straight up kickboxing rules sparring as they do on the knockdown rules they inherited from kyokushin. Some places are also into mma.
Uechi ryu is very traditional in format and feels a bit weird to me -maybe because of their close ties to kung fu.. traditionally they spar with hard contact, but you will not know until you go into the dojo and watch.
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I will give you my personal opinions first and then a few more objective sources.
Shotokan is my base style. It is usually light-contact and generally comes in two flavors: A) traditional (esp. ITKF) with a focus on kata and self defense and B) sport (esp. WKF) with a focus on point-contact competition. Both variants have their pros and cons but both are safe and fun.
Kyokushin is a full contact competitive style not unlike Muay Thai, the main difference being in sparring rules - the are no gloves but punching the face is forbidden. This is a drawback BUT such sparring will teach you to take (and deliver) body shots like a boss, while keeping your face intact (unless you eat a kick).
Shidokan is probably the most MMA-like Karate style of them all. Sometimes dubbed the "Triathlon of Martial arts" it encompasses full contact Karate, Muay Thai and grappling so with good instruction it can pretty much prepare you for MMA bouts. Definitely not a TMA style.
Uechi-ryu is an Okinawan karate style which is much more closely related to Kung Fu than most others. This means more unorthodox techniques and training methods, which can be weird but also quite interesting. Sparring intensity heavily depends on the org and coach.
Budokan which you also mentioned I had to Google:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budokan_karate
Style founded by a Malaysian weight-lifter who learned his Karate for a Japanese soldier... looks like a poor man's WKF Shotokan from what I've seen on YT. Meh.
Good old post by @shinkyoku on the sparring differences in Karate styles (mostly videos):
http://forums.sherdog.com/threads/so-you-think-you-know-all-about-karate.2263005/
A nice table of all Karate styles with division by origin, hardness and kata:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_karate_styles
Final word of advice (important):
If you're not aiming for MMA or kickboxing competition then the best style for you is the one you stick to and enjoy training. Simple. Go visit each dojo (first class is usually for free) and choose the one that you like the most.
Good luck!
PS. To check out which Karate styles have been represented in MMA see my sig!
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If you do Shotokan, there won't be any free sparring until brown belt ( you might learn some basic before that though) . My father is a chief instructor and quite honest about his coulored belts standing no chance against Kyoukushin students who start sparring from the get go. A Shotokan guy will appear more technical and refined than Kyoukushin but it's mostly all flashyness.
So a lot of Kata and limited free sparring below first degree brown belt - Shotokan is your pick.
So a lot of Kata and limited free sparring below first degree brown belt - Shotokan is your pick.
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Another thing, if your are seriously looking to expand on kicking, especially high kicks, do Kyoukushin-style. They have great kicks. The Shotokan philosophy on kicking is different and punching is more emphasized.
I would take Kyoukushin having your background. I think their instruction standards are fairly high across the globe.
I would take Kyoukushin having your background. I think their instruction standards are fairly high across the globe.
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You've been given very detailed posts by some very knowledgable users on here already.
So nothing really to add - except go to as many as you can and the one that gels with you is what you should stick with.
At the end of the day style is important but it's no replacement for the quality of instruction you'll get.
I personally feel regardless of whatever style you pick - opt for the better instruction and a type of style that suits your goals.
So nothing really to add - except go to as many as you can and the one that gels with you is what you should stick with.
At the end of the day style is important but it's no replacement for the quality of instruction you'll get.
I personally feel regardless of whatever style you pick - opt for the better instruction and a type of style that suits your goals.
